Here is what you need to know. This is a trail race. It is in the woods, in the shade, mostly on single track, and it has one big hill. … MORE
Here is what you need to know. This is a trail race. It is in the woods, in the shade, mostly on single track, and it has one big hill. That means it is missing something you might be looking for: there is no grand vista, though there is a view that includes power lines and towers, which you see twice, sort of a sign of how modern life cuts through the wilderness. In my book, however, it makes up for it with the forest setting, which is about as isolated as you’d want though it comes close to the road a couple of times.
They advertise 2600 feet vertical gain. My watch, a Garmin Fenix 3, recorded only 2250. That’s not a quarrel with anyone or my device. Accuracy is not great out there — at least twice while I was looking at it, the mileage count backed up, and, probably not by coincidence, it was during an ascent or descent. Suffice it to say it’s not trivial. The incline is so long, however, it isn’t as brutal as some of the races in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The moral satisfying aspect (since it involves work and delayed gratification, so it comports in the old school sense with how a scold would want the world to work) is that you get probably five miles of descent in the back half. It isn’t too technical either. So you can really fly downward.
Then the last mile has a bump. The two other runners I was alternating with, one runs this park every Saturday and called it “rude” but warned us; the other complained about how terrible it was in a manner that inspired laughter and sympathy. But, yeah, the last mile goes back up, mildly, but definitely. So you’re thinking almost there and it’s a reminder of reality.
I believe I have run this race before, but I am not sure (Athlinks shows me at 106 races at this point; not a brag; just why I cannot keep track.) I know I have run out at this venue before. [Addendum: I checked. I ran it two years ago, 7 minutes faster. Still on the comeback trail.]
As for me, it was another lackluster morning. I wanted to beat 3:15, but I missed. I was at the top of the bottom tenth. Well, considering I did the 17 mile San Francisco urban hike on Monday (plus a half marathon and 10k that weekend), I’m fine with it. I will come back to this park.
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Gravity Assisted Negative Split
Here is what you need to know. This is a trail race. It is in the woods, in the shade, mostly on single track, and it has one big hill. … MORE
Here is what you need to know. This is a trail race. It is in the woods, in the shade, mostly on single track, and it has one big hill. That means it is missing something you might be looking for: there is no grand vista, though there is a view that includes power lines and towers, which you see twice, sort of a sign of how modern life cuts through the wilderness. In my book, however, it makes up for it with the forest setting, which is about as isolated as you’d want though it comes close to the road a couple of times.
They advertise 2600 feet vertical gain. My watch, a Garmin Fenix 3, recorded only 2250. That’s not a quarrel with anyone or my device. Accuracy is not great out there — at least twice while I was looking at it, the mileage count backed up, and, probably not by coincidence, it was during an ascent or descent. Suffice it to say it’s not trivial. The incline is so long, however, it isn’t as brutal as some of the races in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The moral satisfying aspect (since it involves work and delayed gratification, so it comports in the old school sense with how a scold would want the world to work) is that you get probably five miles of descent in the back half. It isn’t too technical either. So you can really fly downward.
Then the last mile has a bump. The two other runners I was alternating with, one runs this park every Saturday and called it “rude” but warned us; the other complained about how terrible it was in a manner that inspired laughter and sympathy. But, yeah, the last mile goes back up, mildly, but definitely. So you’re thinking almost there and it’s a reminder of reality.
I believe I have run this race before, but I am not sure (Athlinks shows me at 106 races at this point; not a brag; just why I cannot keep track.) I know I have run out at this venue before. [Addendum: I checked. I ran it two years ago, 7 minutes faster. Still on the comeback trail.]
As for me, it was another lackluster morning. I wanted to beat 3:15, but I missed. I was at the top of the bottom tenth. Well, considering I did the 17 mile San Francisco urban hike on Monday (plus a half marathon and 10k that weekend), I’m fine with it. I will come back to this park.
Less Rambling, More Tree Scrambling
Beautiful course that started with a nice downhill. We ran through the redwoods and thanks to a recent storm, the course was very muddy with little streams going down the … MORE
Beautiful course that started with a nice downhill. We ran through the redwoods and thanks to a recent storm, the course was very muddy with little streams going down the trails. There were also a few downed trees we had to climb over, under and around. The course wasn’t too hard with lots of ups and downs.
Cold morning, but still a great time. Inside Trail had a long sleeve tech shirt for runners which will be perfect for winter running. The finish line food area had hot soup which was perfect post race! I definitely want to do this one again.
It was no doubt a beautiful course but
No doubt the scenery was beautiful, redwood trees , streams , narrow steep switchbacks and dabbled light. The problem was for safety reasons , there was little time to actually … MORE
No doubt the scenery was beautiful, redwood trees , streams , narrow steep switchbacks and dabbled light.
The problem was for safety reasons , there was little time to actually take your focus off the muddy single file trail and your feet.
This is a tough half marathon, equal to the Dipsea trail.
Take your own water . It may be at least 90 mins before you reach the first water and electrolyte stop.
Most trail runners know to bring your own bottle anyway .Trail runners are tough and friendly , which makes these races so unique and fun.
Easy to get to and parking was okay . One of the best tech long sleeve shirts and nice medal too.
Even though I was sore for days , I would probably run this one again .
If this is your first trail run , make sure you train for hills .
Beautiful and Challenging
The air was crisp, there were no clouds in sight and the trail was soft (but not too soft). A storm had passed two days prior to the race, leaving … MORE
The air was crisp, there were no clouds in sight and the trail was soft (but not too soft). A storm had passed two days prior to the race, leaving Huddart Park at its most beautiful. If you’ve ever been there, you know what I’m talking about. Narrow, twisting single-track trails, slopes under towering redwoods, breathtaking views. Quite the scenery for my first ever trail race, an appropriate 10K (half marathon, 35K and 50K also available).
When the gun went off it was a mad dash to get to the first narrow turn onto the trail. Those who didn’t get there first had to wait their turn in a bit of a bottleneck. After that it went downhill for a mile on a narrow trail with lots of turns, rocks, ruts and three wooden and slippery bridges. That was the easy part.
Next mile started up a fire road. Halfway through it got really steep. At the top, it was back in under the canopy of redwoods and then another climb for the next two miles. If you had gunned it too much on mile 2, you would be in trouble at this point.
After surviving 3 miles of climbing, the rest was basically a sprint downhill on a bit of fire road and lots of single-track, jumping over fallen branches and a tree, making several sharp turns before flying over a playground to the finish line.
This was my first race ever, and I think I might already be spoiled. Huddart Park is simply a runner’s paradise. I’ll be back for sure.
Beautiful redwoods, soft trails
I ran the trail half in 2013. The race is held in Huddart Park, which has some of the most beautiful trails in the Bay Area. Gorgeous redwoods with pine … MORE
I ran the trail half in 2013. The race is held in Huddart Park, which has some of the most beautiful trails in the Bay Area. Gorgeous redwoods with pine needle coated trails align almost the entire course. As for grade, the course was steadily uphill on the way out and then downhill on the way back. I would say that all of it was fairly runnable switchbacks (if you’re fit enough, which I wasn’t) except for one steep hill. The downhill portion was so fun – not technical at all, so I felt like I was flying. Oh, one thing to note was that my Garmin’s GPS was confused by either the trees or the switchbacks because it logged only 12 miles, so you might want to consider leaving your watch at home.
Inside Trail always does a great job with race organization. The course was well-marked, with a volunteer stationed at the half marathon turn around. We were given mugs instead of shirts, which is still one of my most prized pieces of race swag. At this particular race, Michigan Bluff Photography was on hand to take professional pictures and later distributed them for FREE. Definitely a major perk!
Big hills, big trees, big smiles
I ran the 10k race here as I'd run a half-marathon on these trails in the summer and my legs were still a little bitter about it :) The half-marathon … MORE
I ran the 10k race here as I’d run a half-marathon on these trails in the summer and my legs were still a little bitter about it 🙂 The half-marathon hills are brutal – the 10k hills are not negligible but they’re bearable! Huddart is my favourite park – the redwood forest trails are truly special, you feel like Katniss when you run there. The bathrooms here are good – proper buildings, flushing toilets, water etc. It’s $6 to get in and park – parking gets busy but I found somewhere fairly easily. A photographer was located half way up the climb and the photos were available for free afterwards, which is much appreciated. All in all, this is a great race.